Cut-off for cigarette-making machines



2 Sheets-Shet 1 Oct. ,1 R. J. A. CHANDLER CUT-OFF FOR CIGARETTE MAKINGMACHINES Filed July 8, 1953 ay z kt. 23, 1934. R. J. A. CHANDLER CUT-OFFFOR CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed July 8. 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Oct. 23, 1934 UNITED s'rA TES' GUT-OFF FOR CIGARETTE-MAKINGMACHINES Robert John Alexander Chandler, London, England, assignor toAmerican Machine1& Foundry Company, New York, iNaYr, a corporation ofNew Jersey Applicationluly 8, 1'933,SerialNo. 679,529

. i In Great'Britain July 26, 1932 r 16 Claims.

This invention relates .to cut-oifs for continuous :I'Od.cigarette-making machines of the type ofthe cutter so that a cuttingaction is effected during'each revolution of the cutter, and furtherduring cutting the'cutter and ledgerplate both movein the direction ofthe cigarette rod at the same speed. Moreover, inview of thethree-pointsuspension provided for the cutter. and ledger plate mounting it isfound that" constructional difilculties in aligningand setting upthemount- -ing and ialsotin balancing the revolving masses in ordertoeliminate vibration, occur.

An object of the present'invention is to provide an improved arrangementof mounting the cutter and ledger plate and control thereof whereby theabove dimculties are avoided while' retaining the advantage of theprevious construction derived by imparting an orbital move,- mentto theledger plate. I

InLthe cut-off according to the present invention the cutter and ledgerplate are movedin independentorbits which intersect one another, the

cutter-and ledger plate being relatively'disposed. andthe'direction ofmovement being 'suchthat,

they alternately approach and rec'ede from one another. a i

The'orbits are preferably circularand obtained through the agency ofcran'kflmeansby which the cutter shaft and ledger platevare supported.

According to a feature of the invention the speed of revolution ofthe'cutter'is such that a cut is-effected on* each alternate"revolution." By such anarrangement the width of the cutter may beincreased to double the normal with the consequent fiattening of theeccentric edge, resulting in a reductionof the shock to the cigaretterod during cutting thereof. 7 a Further features ofinvention will behereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:-- "Figure 'l is a-sectionalelevation takenthrough theaxis ofthe driving and supporting shafts Figure 2 is a frontview partly-in section.

Figure 3 is an end'view showing the cutter and ledger 1 plate, "andFigure 4 is a detail of a clutch.

In carrying the'invention into effect according to one convenient modeva pair of spaced drive shafts 10, 11 is .providedwhich are gearedtogether by gear wheels 12, 13 sothatthey rotate at thesame speed butinopposite directions.

The axes 'of the shafts are located in a vertical plane and these shaftsare providedwith crank discs l4, 15 carrying crank pins 16, 17 which areset relatively to oneanother sothat when at the maximum and minimumdistance apart the aXesof the'crank pins liein the before-mentionedvertical plane. i v

The upper crank pin 16 supports a carriage or frame 18in whicha cuttershaft 19 is journalled sjo thatthe axis thereof lies in a horizontalplane. The-cutter shaft atone end is provided with clamping discs 20betwe'en which an eccentric edged cutter21 is adapted'to be fixed, thecutter being of theusual'thiir or wafer type and having a slot 22adapted to accommodatethe shaft-1'9.

"The-lower crank pin 17 supports a carriage or frame 23 on which aledgerplate 24 is mounted, the disposition of the plate being such thatthe cutter will engage the slotjin the-plate when the cutter andledgerplateapproach one another and with the crank'pins 16,l'Tat'theirinnermost position, it being appreciatedthat the distancebetween the shafts 1O, 11 and the disposition of the eccentriccutteredge andthe ledg'erplate is such that their circular orbital pathswill intersect the desired amount necessary to eifect the severing ofthe cigarette rod. The revolving masses comprising the mountings 18and23 are balancedby-the balance weights 34, associated withthe gears 12and-13.

1 In order to maintainthetwo frames or carriages 18 and' 23intheir'correctrelative positions and maintain-the axes of thecuttershaft and the ledger plate parallel toone another, one carriage 18 isprovided with apair of guide rods25 extending towards the other carriageand engaging in guide sleeves 26 mounted upon the other carriage 23, theaxes of these guide rodsand sleeves being at right-anglestothe axesofthe cutter shaft 19 andtheledger plate 24. In other words; thecarriages 18 and'23 are interconnected by telescopic guidin'g'elementsso'that' in effect asingle compositeiramework is provided comprisinga'pair of" units which alternatelyapproach and recede from one another.Obviously, the carriages l8 and 23 could be independent-of oneanotherand guided bythe provision of duplicate crank-shafts mountedabove and below the drive shafts beforementioned or in horizontalalignment therewith.

The drive to the cutter shaft 19 is effected in the usual manner bymeans of a bevel gear 27 fixed to the associated crank pin 16 andmeshing with a bevel pinion 28 on the cutter shaft, the relative sizesbeing such as to provide the desired speed of the cutter. In the exampleillustrated a 2:1 drive is provided so that the cutter rotates tworevolutions to each revolution of the shaft 10.

The drive of the crank shafts is effected through suitable gearing fromthe drive of the cigarettemaking machine and preferably suchtransmission includes a bevel gear 29 carried by a vertical shaft 30extending below the bed 31 of the machine. The bevel gear 29 meshes witha bevel gear 32 mounted upon the lower crank shaft 11, The bevel gears29, 32 are located above the bed of the machine within a casing having aremovable wall 33 so that they may be readily accessible for changingaccording to the desired relative speeds of the cigarette machinemechanism and the cut-off.

The bevel gear 32 is connected to the shaft 11 by a spring ball or likeclutch 36 engaging a depression 37 in a disc 38 keyed to the shaft 11.The depression 37 at one end is inclined as at 39 whereby the shafts 10and 11 may be moved by hand in the driving direction when it is desired,for instance, to set the sharpening devices (not shown) for the cutter.

On the other hand, during running the spring cup 36 will be forced outof the depression if for any reason stoppage of the cut-oif shouldoccur.

By the provision of separate mountings for the cutter and ledger plateeach of which is mounted upon a single support, alignment of the partsis facilitated and, further, by each mounting revolving in a circuitousorbital path, balancing of the parts may be more readily effected.

It will be appreciated that by speeding up the revolutions of the cutterthe width of the blade may be correspondingly increased. For example, bydoubling the speed of the cutter to that usually adopted the blade maybe of double width. This enables the use of a blade having a flattercurvature to the cutting edge so that the cut through the rod is moregradual, thus reducing theshock to the rod which obtains with narrowereccentric edge cutters. In other words, by the improved arrangementdescribed herein, the conditions of the out are more like those whichobtain with circular cutters.

Sharpening of the cutter may be effected by sharpening means asdescribed and claimed in prior British patent specification No. 292,635.

With the cutter shaft 19 rotating at double the usual speed as describedabove, the cutter will come into contact with the stationary sharpeningelement every other revolution owing to the displacement of the cutterparallel to the axis of the cigarette rod.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:--

1. In a cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described, acutter, a mounting for said cutter, a ledger plate, a mounting for saidledger plate independent of the mounting for the cutter, and means formoving said mountings in independent orbital paths and in oppositedirections to cause the cutter and ledger plate alternately to approachand recede from one another to effect a cutting of the cigarette rod.

2. A cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising a pair of spaced crank shafts, a cutter, a ledger plate, amounting for the cutter carried on one of said crank shafts, a mountingfor the ledger plate carried on the other of said crank shafts, meansfor driving the crank shafts in opposite directions to cause the cutterand ledger plate alternately to approach and recede from one another,and means coupling the said mountings to maintain the axes of the cuttershaft and ledger plate parallel with the axis of the cigarette rod.

3. A cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising a pair of spaced crank shafts, a cutter, a ledger plate, amounting for the cutter carried on one of said crank shafts, a mountingfor the ledger plate carried on the other of said crank shafts, meansfor driving the crank shafts in opposite directions to cause the cutterand ledger plate alternately to approach and recede from one another,and telescopic members connecting adjacent ends of the two mountings tomaintain the axes of the cutter and ledger plate parallel with the axisof the cigarette rod.

4. A cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising an eccentric edged cutter, a ledger plate, two mountings onefor the cutter and the other for the ledger plate, a pair of spacedcrank shafts on which the said mountings are respectively carried, meansfor driving the crank shafts in opposite directions to cause the cutterand ledger plate alternately to approach and recede from one another,and driving means between the cutter and its associated crank shaft forrevolving the cutter at double the speed of the said crank shaft to cutthe cigarette rod on each alternate revolution of the cutter.

5. A cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising an eccentric edged cutter, a ledger plate, two mountings onefor the cutter and the other for the ledger plate, a pair of spacedcrank shafts on which the said mount ings are respectively carried,means for driving the crank shafts in opposite directions to cause thecutter and ledger plate alternately to approach and recede from oneanother, driving means between the cutter and its associated crank shaftfor revolving the cutter at double the speed of the said crank shaft,and means coupling the said mountings to maintain the axes of the cutterand ledger plate parallel with the axis of the cigarette rod.

6. A cut-off of the class described, comprising in combination aneccentric edged cutter for severing a cigarette rod, a ledger plate forsupporting and guiding the cigarette rod, two separate mountings one forthe cutter and the other for the ledger plate, a pair of spaced crankshafts on which the said mountings are respectively carried, means fordriving the crank shafts in opposite directions to move the saidmountings in independent orbital paths and in opposite directions, meansfor revolving the cutter by its associated crank shaft and at double thespeed of the said associate crank shaft, and means to maintain the axesof the cutter and the ledger plate parallel to one another.

'7. A cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising a pair of spaced crank shafts, a cutter, a ledger plate, amounting for the cutter carried on one of said crank shafts, a mountingfor the ledger plate carried on the other of said crank shafts, meansfor driving the crank shafts in opposite directions from the cigaretterod mechanism to cause the cutter and ledger plate alternately toapproach and recede from one another, a bevel gearing forming part ofsaid driving means, a machine bed above which said bevel gearing islocated so that it is readily accessible for changing according to thedesired relative speeds of the cigarette rod mechanism and the cut-off,and means coupling the said mountings to maintain the axes of the cutterand ledger plate parallel to one another and with the axis ,of thecigarette rod.

8. In combination with the cut-off as claimed in claim 7, a springclutch through which one bevel wheel of said bevel gearing transmitsmotion.

9. A cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising a pair of spaced crank shafts, a cutter, a ledger plate, twomountings respectively carried on said crank shafts one mounting for thecutter and the other mounting for the ledger plate, transmissionmechanism for driving the said crank shafts from the cigarette rodmechanism and in opposite directions to cause the cutter and the ledgerplate alternately to approach and recede from one another, bevel gearingin said transmission mechanism, a machine bed above which said bevelgearing is located so that it is readily changeable to obtain thedesired relative speeds of the cigarette rod mechanism and the cut-off,and telescopic members connecting adjacent ends of the said twomountings to maintain the axes of the cutter and ledger plate parallelwith the axis of the cigarette rod.

10. In combination with the cut-off according to claim 9, driving meansbetween the cutter and its associated crank shaft for revolving thecutter at double the speed of such crank shaft.

11. A cut-ofi for cigarette rod machines of the class described,comprising a pair of spaced crank shafts, a cutter, a ledger plate, amounting for the cutter carried on one of said crank shafts, a mountingfor theledger plate carried on the other of said crank shafts,transmission mechanism for driving said crankshafts from the cigaretterod mechanism and in opposite directions to cause the cutter and ledgerplate alternately to approach and recede from one another, bevel gearingin said transmission mechanism, a machine bed above which the said bevelgearing is located to be readily accessible for changing according tothe desired relative speeds of the cigarette rod mechanism and cut-off,clutch means through which one bevel wheel of said bevel gearingtransmits motion, and telescopic members connecting adjacent ends of thesaid mountings to maintain the axesof the cutter and ledger plateparallel to the axisof the cigarette rod.

12. A cut-off of the class described, comprising in combination aneccentric edged cutter for severing the cigarette rod, a ledger platefor supporting and guiding the cigarette rod, two mountings one for thecutter and the other for the ledger plate, a pair of spaced crank shaftson which the said mountings are respectively carried, transmissionmechanism for driving the crank shafts from the cigarette rod mechanismand in opposite directions to cause the cutter and ledger platealternately toapproach and recede from one another, bevel gearing insaidtranspendent mounting carrying said ledger plate, a

single support carrying the cutter mounting and by which an orbitalmovement is imparted to the cutter mounting, a single support carryingthe ledger plate mounting-and by which an orbital movement is impartedto the said ledger plate mounting, and means coupling the cuttermounting and ledger plate mounting together while permitting suchmountings to approach and recede from one another as they move in theirorbital paths.

14. A composite mounting for the cutter and ledger plate of a cigarettecut-01f, comprising a pair of elements, a single rotatable support uponwhich one of said elements is mounted and by which it is moved in anorbital path, a single rotatable support upon which the other of saidelements is mounted and by which it is also moved in an orbital path butin a direction opposite to the first mentioned element, and meanscoupling the two elements together to maintain their axes parallel tothe axis of the cigarette rod.

15. A composite mounting for the cutter and ledger plate of a cigarettecut-off, comprising a pair of mountings, a single rotatable supportcarrying one of said mountings and by which it is moved in an orbitalpath, a single rotatable support carrying the other of said mountingsand by which it is also moved in an orbital path but in a directionopposite to that of the first mentioned mounting, and telescopic membersconnecting adjacent ends of the two mountings together to maintain theiraxes parallel to the axis of the cigarette rod.

'16. In a cut-off for cigarette rod machines of the class described, aneccentric edged cutter, a

ROBERT JOHN ALEXANDER CHANDLER.

